About MelioGuide
MelioGuide™ is your online source for exercise programs to treat and prevent osteoporosis, osteopenia and low bone density. Our Exercise for Better Bones Program has been used by thousands of people around the world to improve the strength of their bones, reduce their risk of fracture, build their confidence and give them the freedom to move with confidence.
Why We Started This Site
This web site was developed because our clients who visited us at our clinic were unable to find practical, relevant information that gave them the specifics to improving their bone health.
Many of our clients were traveling a far distance to get a safe and effective exercise program and we felt that a web site would be a convenient way for them to access the information that they needed without having to leave their homes.
Exercise for Better Bones
Before we started this site, we spent quite a bit of time looking for web sites with exercises targeted at bone building. The few that we found had, what we felt, were significant shortcomings for general use by the public:
- Most osteoporosis web sites have limited guidance on exercises for bone health other than “you should perform weight bearing exercises and strength training”. This is great advice but a bit too broad. Most of us would like to have a specific set of exercises to follow depending upon our personal situation. This web site sets out to address that need.
- The sites that we found took a “one-size-fits-all” approach and prescribed the same set of exercises regardless of risk fracture or exercise activity level. Our approach has been to develop exercise programs for people at different levels of activity and bone fracture risk. We are also unique in that we use a series of questions to determine the most appropriate exercise program based on exercise activity level and risk of bone fracture.
- We were surprised to find web sites advocating exercises that are potentially harmful to people with osteoporosis! We found web sites advising people with osteoporosis to include sit-ups as part of their exercise regime. (Flexion of the spine—the position of the spine as a result of a sit-up—is one of the most common causes of a vertebral fracture. Our section entitled “Exercises to Avoid” in the Exercise for Better Bones Program identifies many of the exercises that cause flexion.)
We felt that we could address these shortcomings by taking the exercises that we had developed over the years for our clients and packaging them on this web site and in printed format. This would allow people from anywhere in the world access to bone friendly exercise programs targeted at their current exercise/activity level and specific to their risk of bone fracture.
We have developed our exercise programs ourselves and they are based on years of clinical work with people at different stages of exercise/activity level and bone risk fracture. We have had the exercises reviewed by peers with expertise in exercise programs for bone health.
We have designed the MelioGuide Exercise for Better Bones Program to be easy to follow so that you can practice your Program without assistance. However, we recognize that some individuals will want to work with a qualified health care professional. As a result, we offer training to Physical Therapists, Kinesiologists, and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists on the MelioGuide approach.
Training for Health Professionals
We have trained hundreds of Health Care Professionals across the United States and Canada on our evidence-based exercise programs for the treatment and management of osteoporosis. Our workshop training and online information for Health Care Professionals enables better patient care delivery.
How Can You Contact Us?
We would like to hear your comments and receive your feedback on the site and its content. Please visit the Contact Us area and let us know your thoughts.